It came down to one kick. Jason Robertson stepped up in the 69th minute, split the posts, and Old Glory held on for a 24-23 thriller that will live long in the memory at George Mason Stadium.
New England looked like it had the game in hand. The Free Jacks led 17-14 at the break, Joel Hodgson's boot doing the heavy lifting with three penalties, and stretched that lead to 20-14 after the hour through Robertson's own conversion of Damien Hoyland's 56th-minute try. But Old Glory had other ideas. Robertson's penalty swung momentum, and the home side clung on through a frantic final ten minutes as the Free Jacks threw everything at the defense.
The visitors' tries came from Ben LeSage (25') and Oscar Lennon (6'), with a penalty try adding a third score, but New England's inability to convert pressure into points at the death proved costly. For Old Glory, Robertson was the man with the boot and the nerve, three conversions, a penalty, and the decisive kick when it mattered most.